Article counting device



Oct. 18, SPRAKER ARTICLE COUNTING DEVICE Filed Jilly 24, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Asa/v G- Swan/(s:

I BY l 1 1 '-TTORNE Oct. 18, 1949. L. G. SPRAKER ARTICLE COUNTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 24, 1948 III 1'11 I ATTORN 5 Patented Oct. 18, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Beech-Nut Packing Company,

Canajoharic,

N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 24, 1948, Serial No. 40,570

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to counting devices, and has special reference to devices for counting individual packages of single stick chewing gum in groups or units as they leave the wrapping or packaging machine.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is simple in construction and e'iii'cien't in operation and capable of operating at any desired speed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved counting device.

The several features of the invention, whereby these and other objects may be attained, will be readily understood from the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front side view of my improved counting device shown operating on individual packages of single stick gum as they are fed from the wrapping or packaging machine;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the rear side of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, taken substantially on the line l-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the portion of the machine shown in Fig. 4 with certain parts broken away.

The device illustrated in the drawings is particularly adapted for counting in groups or units individual packages 2 of single stick gum as they are fed sidewise in side by side relation over a table '4 from the wrapping or packaging machine.

The device comprises a sprocket wheel 8 which is secured on a shaft 8 that has one end journaled in a bracket member In secured in a collar on a stud l2 projecting from a plate 14 that forms a part of the frame of the device. The other end of the shaft 8 extends through a bearing in the plate l4 and carries a pinion l6 that operatively en gages a gear ['8 journaled on a stud '28secured to the frame plate 14. The pinion l6 has the same number of teeth as the sprocket wheel 6, and the number of teeth on the gear l8 corresponds to the number of articles in each unit to be counted. The teeth of the sprocket wheel 6 are so spaced that as the packages of gum are fed beneath the sprocket wheel each package moves the sprocket wheel one tooth.

The gear wheel I8 carries -a cam 22 which operatively engages the operating arm or lever 24 of a n1icro-sWitch 26. Thi micro-switch is in circuit with the coil of an electrom'agnet 28 through wires 30.

The outer end of the core 82 of the electromagnet is pivotally connected with an upstanding arm or lever 34 which has its lower end pivoted on a pin 36 that is mounted in a bracket 38 on the machine frame. The upper end of the lever '34 carries an ejecting or deplacing finger 40 which extends horizontally and has its inner endnormally positioned in proximity to the rear side of the column of packages 2.

The finger carrying lever 34 is pressed outwardly by mean of a coiled spring 42 interposed between the arm and a shoulder on a rod '44 secured to a frame member 46, the lever being guided by working in the bifurcated end of a strip 48 secured by screws 50 to the rod 44. The frame plate I' l that supports the sprocket wheel 6, pinion l6, gear wheel I8, cam 22 and micro-switch 26, is adapted to be adjusted about a pin 52 by means of an adjusting screw 54 or other suitable means so as to easily adjust the sprocket shaft 8 toward and from the top of the column or packages.

The adjusting screw 54 is screw-threaded through a bracket '53 on the machine frame and its end engages the lower edge of the plate l4. The plate 14 is held in adjusted position by means of a screw or bolt 55 which extends through a slot in the bracket 53 and is screw-threaded into an aperture in the plate.

In the operation of the counting device, as the sprocket wheel 6 is turned the distance of one tooth for each package that is fed beneath it, the gear wheel 18 is turned a distance 'of one tooth. When the gear wheel 18 has made one complete revolution, the camj22 carried thereby operates the arm 24 of the micro-switch to cause the switch to momentarily close the circuit connection with the electromagnet. When this circuit is closed, the core of the electromagn'et acts through the arm 34 to move the displacing finger Mlio'rwardly into engagement with the package that has been brought into alinement therewith, and thus to displace "the packageendwise a distance out of line. When this occurs the microswitch immediately breaks the circuit, thus allowing the spring 42 to retract the finger 40.

Irrespective of the speedof the feeding of the package such displacement of the package is effected without the displacing finger interfering with the feeding of the column of packages. The displacing finger 48 is so positioned that displacing of the package is accomplished while the package is being engaged by a tooth of the sprocket wheel, and in proper timed relation to the wheel, so that there is no danger of the displacement of one package causing displacement of adjacent packages.

lt will be noted as the column of packages passes the sprocket wheel 6, that the packages displaced separate the column into units with a predetermined number of packages to each unit. Also, that the speed of operation of the device is practically unlimited, being governed only by the speed at which the packages are fed through the machine. The number of packages to each unit, or group, may be easily varied as desired by changing the gear wheel l8, the number of packages passing through the device between each operation of the displacing finger being governed by the number of teeth thereon.

While the machine is particularly adapted for counting individual packages of single stick gum, it will be apparent that'certain features of the invention may be employed in devices for counting various other articles.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention permits various modifications without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for counting articles of the class described as they are fed sidewise in side by side relation, the combination of a sprocket wheel having its teeth suitably spaced so as to be successively engaged by the longitudinal edges of the articles to cause rotation of the wheel as the articles are thus fed, a pinion having the same number of teeth as the sprocket wheel, connection between the sprocket wheel and pinion so as to cause the pinion to be rotated at the same speed as said wheel, a gear operatlvely engaged by said pinion, an electromagnet, a lever, connections between the lever and the electromagnet whereby upon energizing the magnet said lever is turned in one direction, a spring for turning the lever in the opposite direction when the magnet is deenergized, a displacing finger carried by the lever whereby when the lever is turned in said firstmentioned direction it engages the end of one of the articles and moves said article out of line as the articles are being fed, an electric circuit including said electromagnet, a switching device included in said circuit, and connections between said gear and said switching device whereby upon the completion of each revolution of said gear the switching device momentarily closes said circuit to cause said displacing finger to act on an article in the stack and then to open said circuit to cause said spring to turn the lever in the opposite direction to retract the finger.

2. In a machine for counting articles of the class described as the articles are fed sidewise in side by side relation, the combination of a displacement element adapted to be moved in one direction to displace laterally one of the articles and to be retracted therefrom without interrupting the feeding of the articles, means for thus operating said element comprising an electrically operated device and a switch in circuit therewith whereby when the switch is closed said device is operated to move said element in the first men tioned direction and when the switch is open said element is retracted, means for thus closing and opening the switch comprising a cam, a gear for rotating the cam, a pinion operatively engaging the gear, a sprocket wheel having its teeth suitably spaced so as to be successively engaged by the longitudinal edges of the articles to cause rotation of the wheel as the articles are fed, and connection between the sprocket wheel and pinion for driving the pinion whereby at the completion of each predetermined number of degrees of rotation of said gear, said displacing element is operated.

3. A machine for counting articles of the class described as the articles are fed sidewise in side by side relation, the combination of a sprocket wheel having its teeth suitably spaced so as to be successively engaged by the longitudinal edges of the articles to cause rotation of the wheel as the articles are thus fed, a pinion having the same -number of teeth as in the sprocket wheel, connection between the sprocket wheel and pinion so as to cause the pinion to be rotated at the same speed as said sprocket wheel, a gear operatively engaged by said pinion, a displacing element adapted to be moved to engage one end of one of the articles and displace the article lengthwise and to be retracted from the path of the articles without interrupting the feeding of the articles, and means for thus operating said displacing element at the completion of each revolution of said gear comprising an electric circuit including an electromagnet which when energized efiects said movement of the displacing element, a spring for retracting said element when the electromagnet is deenergized, a micro-switch included in said circuit adapted to be operated to effect said energizing and deenergizing of the electromagnet, and a cam driven by said gear for thus operating said switch.

4. In a machine for counting packages of single stick gum in which the packages are fed sidewise through the machine and are arranged in side by side relation, the combination of a sprocket wheel having its teeth suitably spaced so as to be successively engaged by the upper longitudinal edges of the packages to cause rotation of the wheel as the packages are thus fed, a pinion, connection between the sprocket wheel and pin ion so as to cause the pinion to be driven by the sprocket wheel, a gear operatively engaged by said pinion, a micro-switch, means for closing and opening the switch comprising a cam carried by said gear, an electro-magnet, a lever, connections between the lever and the electro-magnet whereby upon energizing said magnet said lever is turned in one direction, a spring for turning the lever in the opposite direction when the magnet is tie-energized, a displacing finger carried by the lever whereby when the lever is turned in said first-mentioned direction it engages the end of one of the packages as the package is engaged by said sprocket wheel to move said package out of line as the packages are being fed, and an electric circuit including said micro-switch and electro-magnet whereby upon the completion of a predetermined number of degrees of rotation of said gear, the microswitch momentarily closes said circuit to cause said displacing finger to displace said package and then to open said circuit to allow said spring to turn said lever in the opposite direction to retract the displacing finger.

LEON G. SPEAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,557,944 Reisbach Oct. 20, 1925 1,741,387 Waitkus Dec. 31, 1929 1,966,387 Hansen July 10, 1934 2,174,480 Raymond Sept. 26, 1939 2,326,675 Pearson et al. Aug. 10, 1943 2,417,074 Green Mar. 11, 1947 

